Jurinea dolmiaea: Introduction, Scientific Classification, Origin, Discovery, Description, Phytochemistry and Uses of Jurinea dolmiaea (Gugaldhoop)
Jurinea dolomiaea Boiss., commonly known in Kashmir as dhup, is of the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to the Himalayas and is distributed from Pakistan to East Nepal between 3000 and 4300 m in open slopes (Chauhan, 1999). It is an important medicinal and aromatic herb of North Western Himalaya and is being exploited because of its medicinal value. A decoction of the roots is cordial. It is given in the treatment of colic and puerperal fever. The juice of the roots is used in the treatment of fevers, diarrhoea and stomachache. The crushed root is applied as a poultice to eruptions (Chopra et al., 1956). The root extract is used as incense (Manandhar, 2002). In India, J. dolomiaea has been used as an aphrodisiac (Sekar and Srivastava, 2005). In Jammu and Kashmir, the plant is used for the treatment of eye infections and it aromatic oil from its roots is useful in gout and rheumatism (Kumar et al., 2009).